Episode 132 – Frenchy Forever: Talking Everything Grease with Beloved Star Didi Conn – Part 2
In part 2 of this special two-part interview, Tony Miros continues his lively chat with Didi Conn, forever beloved as “Frenchy” in Grease. Didi shares the charming story of her Paramount audition—performing the “Men are rats!” scene—then stopping at a real “Frenchy’s Beauty Parlor” to get into character. Though she initially hoped to play Rizzo, fate steered her to Frenchy. She recalls bonding with the cast during a sock hop, working under Randal Kleiser’s collaborative direction, and how choreographer Pat Birch turned her “wrong-way” dance step into part of the final number. Along the way, there’s Allan Carr’s unforgettable Grease party, her relationship with the Pink Ladies, and a hilarious Disneyland trip with John Travolta gone comically wrong.
Didi opens up about her special friendship with Olivia Newton-John—how she’d join her on stage for the Grease encore at concerts, watch in awe from the wings, and admire the deep love Olivia had for her audiences. She reflects on the legacy Olivia left behind, not just in entertainment but through the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre, which continues to help cancer patients and their families.
She also recalls the thrill of working with legends Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, and Joan Blondell—and the surreal experience of stepping into Blondell’s role for Grease Live forty years later. Didi fondly remembers bonding with Carly Rae Jepsen, who played the new Frenchy, as if she were a “long-lost daughter.” Proud yet nostalgic, she calls the live production an “amazing” experience.
From milkshake fights with Kenickie to filming the dreamy “Beauty School Dropout” with Frankie Avalon (“those tight white pants!”), Didi shares more unforgettable memories—sweating through the sweltering dance-off and carnival scenes, Barry Pearl’s “blonde pineapple” joke, and riding the ferris wheel with Stockard Channing. She ends with her take on Sandy’s transformation, seeing it not as a ploy to win Danny, but as Olivia’s powerful moment of self-empowerment—a true rebirth.
Part 2 is packed with warmth, humor, and nostalgia, offering fans an intimate look at the magic of Grease and the extraordinary woman who brought Frenchy to life.
DIDI CONN
Beloved by audiences around the world, Didi Conn is best known as Frenchy, the bubbly beauty school drop-out from Grease and Grease 2. She reprised her connection to the iconic musical in Fox’s Grease: Live! and authored Frenchy’s Grease Scrapbook: We’ll Always Be Together (Hyperion).
Her film credits include You Light Up My Life, The Magic Show, Thomas and the Magic Railroad (with Alec Baldwin), Frida, and the Academy Award-winning short Violet. On television, Didi starred on The Practice with Danny Thomas, spent three seasons on Benson, and became a children’s TV favorite as Stacy Jones on PBS’s Shining Time Station.
On stage, she made her Broadway debut in Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers and has appeared in The Green Bird, The Vagina Monologues, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, and Souls of Naples with John Turturro in both New York and Italy.
In 2019, she charmed UK audiences as the oldest contestant ever to compete on Dancing on Ice and has recently appeared on Blue Bloods and the Amazon Prime comedy-drama Overcompensating.
A passionate advocate, Didi serves as the national celebrity spokesperson for Autism Speaks. She lives between New York and Los Angeles with her husband, award-winning composer David Shire, and their son, Daniel.
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Didi Conn
Actress / Author / Comedienne
Actress and comedienne Didi Conn is beloved worldwide for her iconic role as Frenchy, the bubbly beauty school drop-out, in the hit films “Grease” and “Grease 2.” She celebrated the 25th anniversary of “Grease” by authoring “Frenchy’s Grease Scrapbook: We’ll Always Be Together” (Hyperion) and later returned to the role in a new way—playing Vi in Fox Television’s “Grease: Live!.”
On film, Didi starred in “You Light Up My Life,” “The Magic Show,” “Almost Summer,” and voiced Raggedy Ann in the animated musical “The Adventures of Raggedy Ann & Andy.” She played the title role in the Academy Award-winning short film “Violet” and appeared in “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” (with Alec Baldwin), “Frida,” “Shooting Vegetarians,” “Helen at Risk,” “Oh Baby!,” and “Most Likely to Murder.”
Television audiences know her as a series regular on “The Practice” with Danny Thomas and for her three-season run on the hit sitcom “Benson.” For an entire generation of children—and their parents—she is fondly remembered as Station Mistress Stacy Jones on PBS’s award-winning “Shining Time Station,” a role she played for a decade.
On Broadway, Didi made her debut as Bella in Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning “Lost in Yonkers.” She has also been heard as the voice of Gracie Allen in the national tour of “Say Goodnight, Gracie!,” played Smeraldina in Julie Taymor’s “The Green Bird” at the Cort Theatre, and appeared as the Ghost of Christmas Past in “A Christmas Carol” starring Tony Roberts. Her Off-Broadway credits include “Souls of Naples” (with John T… Read More
